Best Supporting Actress 2010

2010 is the year of the Actress. With countless potential nominees in the leading category, we have an even more crowded Supporting race. There seem to be about 10 contenders vying for the five spots and with The Fighter and True Grit still largely unseen, it's tough to know how the race will play out.

I think the critic award winners will shape the supporting actress race more so than any other category who seem to have clear cut favorites.

Here's how I see the category breaking down:

Current nominee predictions:

Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech

Other possible contenders: Diane Wiest - Rabbit Hole, Barbara Hersey - Black Swan, Mila Kunis - Black Swan. Miranda Richardson - Made in Dagenham, Saorise Ronan - The Way Back, Sissy Spacek - Get Low, Marion Cotillard - Inception

As you can see there are many many many contenders and this category is anyone's guess until critic awards are presented. There are many previous veteran nominees who could factor into the race (Leo, Carter, Wiest, Hershey, Spacek, Richardson), however at this point it's anyone's guess who could and will get in. Weaver won't factor if she's not remembered by critic groups. Wiest might be left out because she's a two time winner. The Fighter and Black Swan ladies could suffer from vote splitting. Steinfeld is young and unknown and Oscar does like that, but will she deliver?

It may actually make the front runner Helena Bonham Carter, in her first non Tim Burton movie in a Queen of Heart's age. Helena Bonham Carter does lovely work in The King's Speech but I wouldn't deem it an Oscar winning performance. From what I am hearing, the other possible winner could be character actress Melissa Leo who plays loud mouthed, tough as nails boxing mom in The Fighter. Perhaps her or Amy Adams, who gets ugly (and we know Oscar likes this) as blue collar Boston boxing girlfriend.

Time will tell. Bring on the National Board of Review, LA and NY Awards please!!!!